Bumdila Hot Springs

Bumdila Hot Springs are located near Bomdila in West Kameng District of Arunachal Pradesh, a hill town set at approximately 2,500 meters in the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas that serves as the gateway for the spectacular journey toward Tawang through the apple orchards and yak pastures of the Dirang Valley, the snow-covered Sela Pass (4,176 meters), and the ancient pine forests sheltering the monasteries of Tawang. Bomdila itself is home to several Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and the Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary — one of the world's most productive birdwatching sites, located in a compressed altitudinal gradient from subtropical foothills to alpine meadow that compresses extraordinary bird diversity into a relatively small area, regularly yielding rare species including the critically endangered Bugun Liocichla, discovered here as recently as 2006. The hot springs near Bomdila draw on geothermal activity in the Eastern Himalayan thrust-fault system, providing bicarbonate mineral bathing in a high-altitude forested setting that serves as a restorative staging point for travelers heading deeper into one of India's most remote and ecologically extraordinary mountain territories.